Blue In Battle To Win Casino - 06/10/2005

Birmingham City is locked in a battle with the National Exhibition Centre to host a new regional casino. Later this month both sides will announce plans intended to win an exclusive endorsement from the city council. St. Andrews, the current City ground, is on a cramped site with one side hard up against a railway line and home gates are already close to capacity after three years in the Premiership. US casino operator Las Vegas Sands is willing to pay for a 55,000 seat stadium costing £217m in return for operating a casino within the complex. However, the city council's Conservative leader Mike Whitby has already come out in support of the NEC. The exhibitions group belongs to the council and financially supports the prestigious but lossmaking International Convention Centre. A further difficulty is that councillors in the neighbours where the Blues ground would be relocated are Muslim, a faith that prohibits gambling. Birmingham City was one of only three Premiership sides to make a profit last year. In the six months to February, it made a pre-tax profit of £5.81m (£3.21m) on turnover of £24.38m (£22.6m). One possibility is that Coventry City will win over both the Birmingham developments, but at least there is no prospect of a casino at Villa.